ELEMENTS OF A METHODOLOGY FOR DEVELOPING FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDENTS' CRITICAL THINKING THROUGH ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING

The development of critical thinking is an essential component of modern higher education and an important requirement for preparing competitive specialists in the field of foreign language education. However, despite the growing importance of critical thinking in language learning, insufficient attention has been paid to developing effective teaching methodologies that integrate critical thinking skills into practical English language classes for students majoring in foreign languages. Therefore, there is a need to design instructional approaches that enable future foreign language specialists to analyse information, evaluate different perspectives, formulate well-reasoned arguments, and make independent decisions. This study aims to develop a methodology for fostering critical thinking among foreign language students through the integrated development of language skills and language aspects during practical English classes. The article presents a methodological framework for developing critical thinking and describes a model of a practical English lesson based on the integration of communicative, competency-based, and critical thinking approaches. Particular attention is paid to the application of interactive teaching techniques, problem-solving activities, discussions, and collaborative learning tasks.